IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


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■•  liiu 

2.2 

m 

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1   4  0 

M 

1.8 

LA.  Ill  1.6 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  873-4S03 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions 


Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


□    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

□    Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag6e 

□    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 

□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titrj  de  couverture  manque 

□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  ddcolor6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 


I — I    Pages  damaged/ 

I — I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I — I    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

r^U  Showthrough/ 


Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I    Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I    Only  edition  available/ 


D 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
en'iure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6X6  film6es  6  nouveau  de  faqon  6 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


nrhis  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu^  ci-dessous. 


10X 


14X 


18X 


22X 


26X 


30X 


y 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grdcd  i  la 
g6n6ro8it6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  co'idition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  film6s  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  compcrte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbcle  ^»-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Stre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

? 


/4^ 


THE  De  LOTBINIERES. 


A  BIT  OF  CANADIAN  ROMANCE  AND  HISTORY. 


BY 


I.  J.  GREENWOOD. 


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[Reprinted  from  the  New-England  Hist,  and  Gen.  Register  for  January,  1896.] 


D.  Clapp  fc  Son,  Printers. 

291   CONORBSS  STBBBT,  Bo^ON. 


THE  DE  L0T3INIERES. 


The  evening  carillon  was  trembling  on  the  summer  air,  and  Stockbriflge 
street  was  all  aglow  with  slanting  sunbeams,  when  I  was  aroused  from  mus- 
ing by  my  host*  of  the  Red  Lion  Inn  placing  in  my  hand  a  small  roll  of 
time-stained  manuscript.  "  A  bundle  of  old  French  letters,  containing  an 
autograph  of  Moutcaira,"  he  remarked,  knowing  our  congenial  tastes,  and 
I,  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  an  evening's  agreeable  occupation,  was  soon 
at  work  over  the  treasure-trove.  How  well  the  trouble  of  straightening 
out  and  arranging  the  crumpled  papers  was  repaid,  the  following  notes, 
somewhat  extended  from  memoranda  jotted  down  at  the  time,  may  give  an 
idea. 

There  were  in  all  fourteen  letters,  evidently  part  of  the  family  archives 
of  the  De  Lotbinieres,  a  race  which  had  reached  Canada,  about  1046,  in  the 
person  of  Louis-Theandre  Chartier  de  Lotbiniere,  who  became  "  Lieutenant 
General  Civil  et  Criminel  de  la  Prevote  de  Quebec,"  in  which  city  he  was 
buried  Sept.  1 1 ,  1 690,  aged  78.  To  his  earliest  progenitor,  born  about 
1320,  as  we  learn  from  Tanguay,  his  line  of  descent  ran  back  through  nine 
preceding  generations,  as  follows:  Rene-Pierre,*  Alain.'  Pierre,''  Alain,* 
Clement,'  Cesar,*  Alain,'  Philippe.'  and  Joseph,*  of  Dijon.  Pierre,  a  son 
of  Clement,  lK)rn  about  1490,  and  a  Councillor  to  the  Parliament  of  Pans, 
was  the  first  to  adopt  the  suffix  of  De  Lotbiniere,  which  became  the  fitmily 
name  in  the  eighth  generation. 

Louis-Theandre,**  who  had  married  at  Paris,  Aug.  16,  1041,  Marie- 
Elizabeth  d'Amours  de  Clignancourt,  had  two  children  :  Rene-  Louis,  born 
1642,  and  Marie-Frangoise,  who  was  five  years  youiiger.  Tlie  latter 
married,  Oct.  17,  1672,  Pierre  de  Joybert,  Seigneur  de  Mar9on  et  de  Soul- 
anges,  Commandant  en  Acadie,  and  their  daughter  Louise-Pjlizabeth,  b. 
Aug.  18,  1673,  at  the  River  St.  John,  Acadie,  bapt.  in  Quebec,  June  15, 
1 675,  became  the  wife,  Nov.  21,  1690,  of  Philippe  de  Rigaud.  Chev.de 
Vaudreuil,  Gov.  of  Montreal.  De  Rigaud,  subsequently  the  Marquis  de 
Vaudreuil,  Was,  in  1703,  Gov.  of  New  France,  and  died  in  1725,  aged  82. 

Rene-Louis  Chartier  de  Lotbiniere,"  b.  1642;  King's  Councillor  1674, 
and,  like  his  father,  Lieut.-Gen.  Civil  et  Criminel;  as  lieutenant  of  a 
militia  company  of  Quebec,  he  was  present,  Oct.  17,  1666.  when  the  Sieur 
de  Bois  took  possession  of  Andaraque  and  other  posts  of  the  Iroquois ;  and 
as  Col.  of  the  Quebec  Regt.,  he  was  at  Fort  Frontenac  in  the  summer  of 
1684,  in  the  rear-guard  of  the  French  expedition  against  the  Senecas.  He 
married  Jan.  24, 1678,  at  Quebec,  Marie-Madeleine  Lambert,  and  was  buried 
June  4,  1709.  Of  his  otxis:  Eustache  Chartier",  bapt.  Dec.  15,  1688,  m. 
April  14,  1711,  Marie- Franfoise  Renaud,  who  d.  April  25,  1723,  aged  30. 
He  had  been  an  Ensign  in  the  troops,  been  recommended  May  6,  1719,  by  his 
kinsman,  the  Governor,  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Superior  Council,  and  continued 
to  hold  that  office  uuti'  his  decease.     The  vacancy  had  been  caused  by  the 


/ 


•  Mr.  C.  H.  Plum?). 


/ 


>"  '  <* 


■n^ 


/ 


;-^' 


recent  <leatli  of  Claude  de  Herman,  tlie  aged  Sieur  de  la  Martiiiiere,  Judge, 
Counsellor,  and  Lieut.-Gen.  Civil  et  Crim.  This  latter  diHtinction,  lield  by 
the  Sieur  de  Lotbinicre's  family  through  two  generations,  had  been  bestowed 
by  the  King  upon  Martin,  Sieur  du  Lino,  against  which  choice  Etistache 
made  bold  to  protest  and  apply  for  the  position  himself.  The  reply,  being 
No.  1  of  the  documents  I  had  tlie  pleasure  of  examining,  is  dated  Paris, 
Sept.  1,  1719,  and  was  written  by  Victor  Marie,  Due  d'Kstrees,  Mareohal 
de  France.  The  services  of  Lotbinieie's  father  and  grandfather,  in  behalf 
of  their  King  and  the  Colony,  are  acknowledged,  but  the  applicant  is  ad- 
monished not  to  regard  certain  ollices  as  family  heir-looms;  to  endeavor, 
rather,  to  render  himself  worthy  of  preferment,  &.C.,  &,c. 

After  his  wift^'s  death,  in  1723,  the  young  man  turned  his  mind  to  more 
serious  occupation;  was  ordained  a  priest,  April  14,  1720;  became  Archdea- 
con and  Dean  of  the  Quebec  Cathedral,  and  was  there  buried  Feb.  14, 
1749.      1 1  is  youngest  child  was: 

Michel-Alain",  Chartier  de  Lotbiniere,  bapt.  April  12,  172.3;  cadet 
(marine),  17.j();  ensign.  1742;  made  the  campaign  of  Acadie  1740;  and 
was  Captain  17")7.  The  (iov.-Gen.,  the  Marquis  de  La  Galissoniere  (the 
same  wiio  afterwards  de'eated  Admiral  liyng,  before  Minorca),  writing 
from  Quebec,  Oct.  20,  174.S.  to  the  Minister  of  Marine,  states  that  he  has 
employed  the  Sieur  de  Lotltiniere  as  assistant  engineer.  I^etters  Nos.  2 
ami  3  were  from  (lalissoniere  to  Lotbiniere;  the  first,  dated  Paris,  Mon- 
day, Sept.  24,  I7.')2,  stating  that  the  writer  is  about  sending  1200  livres 
for  the  benefit  of  iM.  de  Lotbiniere,  M.  des  Essaits.  and  INI.  de  Lusignan, 
and  counts  upon  their  standing  by  each  other  like  good  comrades.  The 
oilier,  ad(lre^se<l  to  M.  de  L.,  Royal  Kngineer  at  Quebec,  is  from  Paris, 
Feb.  19,  1754;  along,  friendly,  interesting  letter  of  six  pages,  touching 
principally  on  military  matters  and  the  fortilications  at  Quebec  and  Louis- 
.  bourg.  The  writer  also  observes  that  "  the  mouiitinir  for  the  electrical 
globe,  which  you  left  me,  is  not  sent  because,  as  you  remarked  on  the 
paper  in  which  it  was  wrapped,  it  was  necessary  to  send,  at  the  same  time, 
a  pneumatic  machine  (air  pump),  and,  as  you  know,  they  never  have  what 
you  want,  I  thonglit  best  to  send  you  instruments  which  might  be  of  use." 

Meanwhile  the  young  engineer  had  married,  and  Col.  FraiKpiet,  who  h;>d 
been  at  Louisboiirg  since  the  summer  of  HOO,  writes  him  (No.  4)  from 
that  point,  .Ian.  4,  llni).  confirming  his  (Franquet's)  recent  appointment 
as  Director  of  Fortifications  in  North  America,  and  presents  his  respects  to 
Ma<lam  de  Lotbiniere. 

No.  5  is  a  letter  fnun  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil,  Gov.-Gen.  of  New 
France,  dated  Montreal,  Sept.  15,  1756,  to  "  M.  de  I'otbiniere,  ingenieur 
a  Carillon,"  better  known  to  us  as  Fort  Ticonderoga.  The  writer  assures 
his  kinsman  (they  were  second  cousins)  that  he  alone  has  the  principal 
direction  of  the  woiks  at  Carillon,  and  urges  him  to  press  them  forward  at 
his  best  ami  to  the  satisfaction  of  M.  le  Marquis  de  Montcalm;  that  Madam 
de  Vandreuil  thanks  him  for  his  kind  remembrance,  &c.  Portion  of  a  seal 
impression  in  red  wax  is  attached  to  the  letter,  being  a  lion  rampant  on  a 
plain  shield,  with  a  lightly  draped  winged  figure  to  the  left  as  a  supporter, 
while,  pendant  from  the  shield,  hangs  a  military  order,  consisting  of  eight 
cannons  Joined  together  as  a  star.  The  writer,  Pierre-Fran9ois,  Marquis  de 
Vaudreuil-Cavagnal,  b.  1G9S,  was  the  third  son  of  the  former  Governor 
General,  to  which  position  he  himself  attained  in  1755;  the  last  to  hold  that 
position  under  the  French. 

Nov.  2,  1750,  Lotbiniere  ai)p1ied  to  the  Minister  of  Marine  for  the  posi- 
tion of  Engineer-in-Chief  of  the  Colony,  as  iield   by  his  late  father-in-law 


i 


De  Lcj^v.  and  some  two  years  later,  writing  to  Marslial  de  Belle  L  e,  he 
says,  "  I  (latter  myself,  my  Lord,  that  you  will  he  pleased  to  have  the 
Cross  of  St.  Louis  conferred  upon  rae.  'Tis  a  favor,  I  dare  say,  I  have 
merited  by  the  zeal  I  have  evinced  on  all  occasions  "  The  Marshal's 
comments  upon  him  as  an  olRcer  can  be  seen  in  the  New  York  Col.  MSS., 
vol.  X.  880. 

No.  G,  from  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  is  in  answer  to  a  demand  for  sixty 
carpenters.  From  Portage  Camp,  August  li),  1757,  the  Marquis  slates 
tliat  he  st'iids  what  he  can  from  the  various  regiments,  &c. 

In  No.  7  we  have  tiie  most  interesting  manuscript  of  the  series,  being 
the  "  Continuation  of  a  journal  from  duly,  1758,  to  M.  de  Lotbiniere's 
return,  .Ian.  10,  17G1,  to  Paris,"  according  to  the  heading.  Unfortunately 
the  twenty-four  pages  preserved  terminate  with  the  22d  of  May,  1759.  lie 
had  left  Carillon,  .July  15.  1758,  he  writes,  suffering  from  inflammation  of 
the  lungs,  brought  on  by  his  exertions;  but  a  few  months'  rest  at  Quebec, 
and  a  milk  diet,  had  about  restored  him  to  health.  Uumors  were  continu- 
ally reaching  them  as  to  the  designs  of  the  Knglish  for  gaining  possession 
of  Canada;  Louisbourg,  &c.,  are  already  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Feb.  7th  he  sets  out  for  Montreal,  where  he  arrives  five  days  later,  and, 
with  De  Vaudreuil,  discusses  plans  for  the  approaching  campaign;  he  also 
learns  from  the  Governor  the  defensive  plan  of  Lieut.-Col.  M.  de  Pont-le- 
roy.  Kngineer-in-Cbief  for  Quebec,  a  plan  which  embraces  the  district  from 
the  Falls  of  Montmorency  to  the  river  St.  Charles,  "not  dreaming,"  says 
the  writer,  "of  occupying  the  heights  before  Quebec,  and  totally  neglecting 
that  portion  comprised  between  Sillery  and  Les  Anses  des  Mers,  deeming 
it  impregnable;"  whereas,  he  informs  the  Governor,  this  point  should  not 
be  overlooked,  since  he  remembers  bow,  as  a  school-boy,  he  had  scaled 
these  heights  r:i[)idly  and  with  no  great  difficulty.  He  then  proceeds  to 
unfold  his  own  plan  of  defence.  Having  returned  to  Quebec,  he  notes  that 
fVoni  the  20tli  to  the  21st  of  May  it  froze  to  the  thickness  of  two  crowns. 
Here  he  finds  the  defensive  works  progressing  on  all  sides,  without  any 
special  duty  having  been  assigned  to  himself,  according  to  promisv.  The 
chief  engineer  "  told  me,  with  quite  an  embarrassed  air,  that  he  was  much 
obliged  to  me,  but  that  he  couhl  dispense  with  causing  me  any  fatigue,  three 
engineers  having  come  to  him  from  France,"  and  yet,  a  few  days  later,  ho 
sees  that  work  had  been  given  out  to  several  officers  of  the  line,  for  which 
they  were  evidently  unfitted;  "this  proceeding,  on  the  part  of  M.  do  pout 
Leroy,  does  not  sur|)rise  me,  having  seen,  from  the  moment  of  his  arrival 
in  Canada,  that  he  regarded  rae  with  jealousy,  &c."  That  a  state  of  ill 
feeling  existed  between  the  parties  is  further  confirmed  by  Pontleroy's  own 
letters  to  the  Minister  of  Marine,  referred  to  in  the  report  on  Canadian 
Archives  for  1887  (pp.  216  and  271 )  ;  April  24, 1758,  he  makes  complaii.ts 
against  AL  de  Lotbiniere,  who  evidently  thought  himself  better  fitted  than 
M.  de  L(5vy  for  post  of  chief  engineer.  Towards  the  close  of  July  he  finds 
fault  with  Lotbiniere's  work  in  the  construction  of  Carillon,  and,  later  on, 
hints  at  his  too  lavish  expenditure;  and,  December  1,  writes  that  "  M.  de 
Vaudreuil  desired  to  secure  the  appointment  of  his  relative,  M.  de  Lotbiniere, 
as  chief  engineer,  and  he,  Pontleroy,  when  he  arrived,  was  looked  upon  as 
an  intruder,  and  difficulties  were  put  in  his  way.  lie  asks  that  M.  de 
Vaudreuil  and  the  Intendant  be  instructed  to  give  him  their  support  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty." 

Tills  friction,  to  call  it  by  no  worse  name,  continued  in  the  department  of 
Royal  Kngineers  till  tlie  enemy  cast  anchor  before  their  city  ;  all  errors  and 
oversights,  so  apparent  to  some,  aud  to  which  others  continued  perversely 


6 


i  I 


blind,  remained  uncorrected;  the  very  heights  which  had  been  ignored  were 
scaled,  the  decisive  battle  was  fought,  and  five  days  later,  on  Sept.  IH.  1769, 
Quebec  surrendered,  and  the  English  became  masters  of  Canada.  The  two 
leaders,  Wolf  and  Montcalm,  had  both  fallen,  the  one  departing  victorious 
and  in  honor,  the  other  in  the  bitterness  of  chagrin  and  defeat;  both  sacri- 
fices to  a  monarch's  glory.  "  Heureux  le  general,  s'il  n'eiit  pas  niepris^ 
encore  sous  les  murs  de  Quebec  les  sages  instructions  qui  lui  donna  Vaud- 
reuil,  il  y  a  un  m^moire  detailld  des  operations  par  unf  otficier  du  genie  qui 
donne  droit  au  Marquis,"  writes  Bibaud,  Jeune,  in  his  "  Pantheon  Cana- 
dien,"  alluding,  may  we  presume,  to  the  missing  portion  of  De  Lotbiniere's 
diary. 

Returning  to  France,  the  Governor  was  thrown  into  the  Bastille,  and, 
though  exonerated  from  all  blame  and  finally  released,  lied  long  after,  bur- 
thened  with  poverty  and  years.  No.  8  is  a  letter  from  his  nephew,  Le 
Chey.  de  Vaudreuil  at  Rochefort,  April  27,  i  762,  to  "  M.  delLotbiniere, 
officier  du  Canada,  rue  des  bons  enfans,  chea  A!''"  A':;lry,  pres  Be  la  porte 
du  palais  Royal,  d  Paris."  It  discusses  some  money  niiittersfthen  states 
that  Canadians  are  arrested  dail  ',  as  the  testimony  of  all  who  have  returned 
from  that  country  is  wanted;  "happy  are  those  who  have  not  been  mixed 
up  in  any  aflfair  of  government.  I  am  quite  impatient  to  hear  the  end  of 
this  matter,  persuaded  that  it  cannot  terminate  otherwise  than  advantage- 
ously for  my  uncle." 

Two  years  later,  Feb.  28,  1764.  the  same  party  writes  from  "  Paris,  run 
garniere,"  to  "Mons.  de  Lotbiniere,  chez  M.  M.  guinaud  negociants,  jI 
Londres."  This  letter.  No.  9,  states  that  the  Chevalier's  brother  would 
return  from  St.  Domingo  about  June;  other  matter,  of  a  private  nature,  is 
referred  to,  and  M.  de  L.'s  son  is  mentioned.  A  small  SkjiI  in  black  wax 
is  attached;  device  same  as  noted  in  No.  5,  save  that  the  supporters  are  dif- 
ferently arranged,  and  that  the  shield  is  surmounted  with  a  jewelled  coronet 
of  three  strawberry  leaves,  and  that  the  military  order  is  omitted.  The 
brother  alluded  to  was  undoubtedly  Joseph  llyc.  Rigaud  de  Vaudreuil, 
Governor  of  St.  Domingo. 

As  early  as  1764  Lotbiniere  made  application  to  the  Lords  Commission- 
ers for  Trade  and  Plantations  desiring  confirmation,  in  his  favor,  of  two 
concessions  of  land,  and  in  1772  he  was  in  Kngland  pressing  his  claims. 
One  tract,  called  Alainville,  granted  him  in  1758,  by  Governor  Vaudreuil, 
lying  partly  on  Lake  George,  partly  on  Crown  Point  River,  with  a  front- 
Hge  of  over  four  leagues,  and  a  depth  of  about  five ;  the  other  tract  of  simi- 
lar extent,  lay  opposite  Crown  Point,  and  was  purchased  in  1763  from  the 
grantee,  M.  Champagne  de  Ilocquart.  These  lands  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Chaniplain  had  been  annexed  to  the  Province  of  New  York,  soon  after  the 
conquest  of  Canada,  and  set  off  to  reduced  officers  of  the  British  army.  It 
is,  perhaps,  just  here  that  No.  10  of  the  series  comes  in  .connection.  It  is 
written  from  Portmansquare  (London),  Feb.  6,  1774,  by  the  Count  de 
Belgivioso,  who  regrets  being  out  when  M.  de  L.  called,  and  invites  him  to 
chocolate,  next  Monday,  after  lOj  a.m.,  as  a  conversation  is  desirable  pre- 
vious to  an  interview  with  the  Minister,  Lord  Rochford. 

Finally,  Feb.  13,  1776,  the  Lords  of  Trade  sent  their  opinion  of  the  sub- 
ject to  the  Committee  of  Privy  Council,  advising  that,  by  way  of  compensa- 
tion, a  tract  of  1 15,000  acres  be  granted  the  applicant  in  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  otherwise  he  to  pursue  his  claims  by  due  course  of  law.  That  the 
land  was  accepted,  the  writer  is  not  certain;  his  Letters  Patent  state  that, 
having  made  a  reclamation  on  the  British  government,  he  obtained  a  pen- 
sion of  400  guineas,  which,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  American  Revolution, 


he  gave  up  and  offered  liis  services  to  France,  a  step  which  debarred  his 
ever  returning  to  Canada  as  an  English  subject;  and  that  he  was,  in  1776, 
sent  to  HoHtou  on  a  miHsiun,  ''  which  he  fulfilled  with  that  zeal  which  had 
ever  characterized  his  operations." 

Having  reached  the  French  colony  of  St.  Pierre  de  Miquelon,  off  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland,  he  sailed  thence  in  a  schooner,  with  two  domestics 
and  a  post-chaise,  and  arrived,  early  in  November,  1776,  at  Chatham,  on 
Cape  Cod.  Proceeding  to  Boston,  he  endeavoured  to  open  correspondence 
with  Dr.  Franklin,  who  had  sailed  for  France,  and  with  the  President  of 
Congress.  lie  says,  ''  At  the  time  I  left  France,  the  commission  I  accepted 
of  could  not  be  granted  without  a  reserve  of  disowning  me  in  case  things 
did  not  succeed  in  the  maimer  expected,"  and  speaks  of  himself  as  "  under 
the  doubh  risk  of  being  disowned  by  your  Congress,  or  by  the  Court  which 
has  secretly  employed  me,  as  one  who  may,  and  they  know  can  be,  of  the 
greatest  service  to  you  by  his  knowledge  of  war  and  politics,  as  well  as  with 
the  local  of  this  Continent."  That  he  might  not  be  regarded  as  a  presump- 
tious  pretender,  he  continues:  "The  whole  system  of  defence  in  that 
country  (Catiada),  after  the  defeat  of  Baron  Dieskuu,  until  the  close  of 
1 7,58,  was  solely  my  own,  and  that  it  ceased  to  be  pursued  only  in  the  cam- 
paign of  1759,  in  which  the  Sieur  Pont  le  Roy,  a  much  older  engineer  than 
I,  and  who  arrived  in  the  summer  of  1758,  determined  absolutely,  in  his 
mode  of  defence,  to  pursue  the  reverse  of  all  that  I  hud  planned,  &c."  He 
writes  also  to  his  son,  then  a  prisoner-of-war;  chides  him  for  espousing  the 
side  of  England,  and  would  like  to  take  his  place,  temporarily,  and  send 
him  to  Canada  tor  his  mother  and  sister;  adding  "all  my  letters  from 
France  give  me  the  title  of  Marquis.     You  run  no  risk  in  conforming  to  it."* 

He  returned  to  Paris,  and  No.  1 1  is  a  note  from  M.  de  Pont  le  Roy  (so 
signed),  about  1779,  who  writes  that  M.  le  Chev.  de  T^evis  doubts  not  but 
that  M.  de  L.  is  certain  as  to  the  height  of  the  ramparts  of  Quebec,  and  so 
desires  me  to  ask  for  him  the  height  of  that  part  &c. 

About  this  time,  again  in  quest  of  the  Cross  of  St.  Louis,  M.  de  Lotbi- 
niere  wrote  to  M.  de  Sartine,  Minister  of  the  Marine.  In  a  letter  (No.  12) 
from  Versailles,  Jan.  21,  1779,  the  Chev.  de  L^vis  (afterwards  Duke  and 
Marshal)  informs  him  that  he  is  likely  to  get  only  a  polite  reply ;  that  he 
should  make  out  a  memoir  and  sign  it,  stating  his  services  in  detail,  and 
that  he  (L^vis)  will  present  it  to  tlie  minister  and  urge  the  suit.  As 
Lotbiniere  favors  "  the  qualification  of  Marquis,  he  had  better  so  style  him- 
self in  his  memoir,  that  the  reply  sent  him  may  be  so  addressed.  Not  to 
ask  for  more  than  one  favor  at  a  time,  'twere  well  to  make  no  mention  of 
the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  frankly  he  would  never  get  it,  since  he  had  never 
been  employed  on  any  expedition,  and  I  do  not  see  that  they  are  disposed 
to  do  anything  for  Canada." 

The  next  year  brings  a  new  minister,  in  the  person  of  the  Marquis  de 
Castries,  who,  in  No.  13,  writes  M.de  Lotbiniere,  from  Versailles,  Nov.  14, 
1780,  thanking  him  for  the  complimentary  letter  on  his  recent  appointment. 
The  minister  would  like  to  do  something  for  him,  but  the  times  are  so 
unfavorable  that  it  is  something  more  to  be  wished  than  hoped  for.  Per- 
severance, however,  met  with  its  reward  at  last,  and,  in  recognition  of  his 
services  and  those  of  his  predecessors,  Michel- Alaine  Chartier  de  Lotbiniere 
was  made  a  Knight  of  St.  Louis,  and  raised  to  the  rank  of  Marquis,  by  the 
King  of  France,  June  25,  1784,  Letters  Patent  being  filed  in  Paris,  April 
2 1  St  following;  the  only  case  of  a  native  Canadian  who  attained  that  title. 
He  died  in  New  York,  from  yellow  fever,  in  1799,  aged  76. 

•  Force's  Am.  Archives,  0  8.  III.,  642-6,  l07»-80. 


8 


Ilis  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Quebec,  in  1747,  was  Louise-Madehiine, 
(laughter  of  Gaspard  Chaussegros  de  L«'vy  (or  I)e  Lery),  Kn{?int'er  of  the 
Marine,  and  Knight  of  St.  liouis.  De  Levy,  who  ditMl  in  Marcli,  17.'>(),  had 
a  s(»n.  Gaspard-.IoHeph,  also  an  eiigini^er,  wlio,  at  the  age  of  ;i2,  in  SeptenilH-r, 
17 "),'{,  married  Louise-Martel  de  Hroinige,  some  sevt-ntLM^i  years  iiis  junior; 
thiH,  ?ne  first  Canadian  couple  presented  at  the  English  Court,  drew  from 
his  Royal  Majesty  the  c()m|)linientary  remark  that  if  all  Canadian  ladies 
re8(!mbled  M"""  de  Levy,  he  liad  indeed  made  "une  belle  concpiete." 

The  Maiquis's  son,  who  inherited  the  title  upon  iiis  father's  decease,  was 
Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain  Chartier  de  Lotbiniere,  born  Aug.  HI, 
1748,  who  now  held  the  Seigneury  and  Chateau  of  V'audreuil,  witli  tho 
Seigneuries  of  lligaud  and  BeMuiiarnois.  He  was  at  first  a  cadet  in  the 
2d  company  of  artillery,  Capt.  Azemard  de  Lusignan,  in  Canada,  and,  at 
the  outl)reak  of  the  American  Revolution,  served  as  a  captain  at  the  IJlock- 
house  of  St.  John:  as  a  prisoner-of-war  he  had  an  allowance  from  Congress 
of  two  dollars  per  week  from  Nov.  2,  177.').*  The  last  letter  of  the  collec- 
tion (No.  14)  is  addressed  to  him  by  Gov.  Tryon,  dated  New  York,  Feb. 
2H,  1777,  9  A.M.;  the  Governor  presenting  his  compliments  and  inviting 
Capt.  Lotbiniere  to  an  interview  in  half  an  hour:  "  D'jeuner  est  pret. — 
Note  Le  Governeur  sorte  de  sa  maison  A  dix  lieure."  In  duly,  1788,  Capt. 
L.  was  placed  by  Lord  Dorchester  on  a  list  of  those  worthy  of  recompense 
for  their  services,  his  award  being  700  acres  in  the  parish  of  I-'Assomption. 
During  the  last  war  with  England  he  was  colonel  of  the  militia  of  Vaudreuil. 
He  was  prominent  as  a  Canadian  statesman;  was  elected  to  the  Chamber  of 
Assembly,  and  unanimously  named  speaker  in  17y.'{;  four  years  later  he 
was  called  to  the  Legislative  Council,  and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the 
French  language  was  retained  in  the  Legislature,  and  a  larger  share  in  the 
administration  of  affairs  secured  to  the  French  Canadians.  Dying  in  1821, 
at  the  age  of  73,  the  male  line  of  tho  race  became  extinct.  His  youngest 
daughter  Julie  Christine,  b.  June,  1810,  m.  Gaspard-Peirre-Gustave  Joly, 
one  of  whose  sons,  M.  de  Lotbiniere  Joly,  was  killed  at  the  assault  of  Delhi 
in  Se|)tember,  1857.  The  family  name  is  still  retained  in  that  of  a  county 
of  735  square  miles,  and  its  seat  of  justice;  Lotbiniere  having  been  repre- 
sented, in  1861,  in  the  Canadian  As:?eml)ly,  by  Henry  Gustave  Joly,  b. 
Dec.  5,  1829,  the  Premier  of  1878,  afterwards  leader  of  the  opposition,  and 
recently  knighted. 

The  Chateau  Vaudreuil,  purchased  by  the  first  Marquis  de  Lotbiniere  in 
1767,  from  his  kinsmen  (the  family  of  the  original  founder),  became  subse- 
quently the  College  de  St.  Raphael.  Destroyed  in  later  years  by  fire,  there 
was  found  under  the  foundation-stone,  at  the  southeast  angle,  a  leaden  plate 
stamped  with  three  fleurs  de  lys,  and  bearing  this  inscription,  "  Cette  pierre 
a  ete  posee  par  Dame  Louise  Elyzabeth  de  Joybert,  femme  de  Haut  et 
Puissant  Seigneur  Philippe  de  Rigaud,  Chevalier,  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil, 
Grand  Croix  de  I'Ordre  Militaire  de  St.  Louis,  Gouveneur  et  Lieutenant- 
General  poisr  le  Roi  de  toute  la  Nouvelle-France  Septentrionale,  en  1723, 
ce  15  Mar."t. 

*  The  Rev.  M.  Louis  Lotbiniere  was  appointed  by  Gen.  Arnold,  in  Jan.,  1776,  as  Chap- 
lain to  Col.  James  Livingston's  Regt.,  and,  after  the  retreat  from  Canada,  was  continued  a 
Chaplain  in  the  pay  of  the  U.  S. 

fin  the  roll  of  papers  were  two  printed  articles;  one,  a  notice  of  services  on  Monday, 
MiMch  19,  1784,  at  4  p.m.,  in  the  Church  of  tho  R.  R.  P.  P.  Th^atiA,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Eiifiins-Trouv^s;  Sermon  by  the  Abbe  Rousseau;  «bMibto  be  sent  to  Dowager  Duchess 
de  Cosse-Brissac;  the  other  an  Enlistment-Blank,  179  (•),  for  a  private  In  the  Infantry  of 
the  United  8tates,  during  "  the  existing  differences"  with  the  French  Republic ;  to  be  sworn 
to  before  u  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


afmf 

/ 


1  Monday, 
eflt  of  the  «/ 
r  Duchess    •>•»•♦ 
nfantry  of 
o  be  sworn 


